SESSION FIVE
The Importance of Service
Date: Wednesday, October 11, 2023
Time: 9:00AM–4:00PM
Location: The Century House, Latham, New York
Agenda
9:00AM–9:30AM
Breakfast: A full, warm breakfast will be served. Coffee, drinks, and snacks will be available throughout the day.
9:30AM-12:00PM
Session 5a: Servant Leadership
In this time of cultural narcissism, it is time to reclaim and embody true servant leadership. And as a collective body of pastoral leaders, it is also time to reclaim the cultural elements of the Beloved Community of Acts 2. Utilizing James Hunter’s The Servant, this session will focus on centering us on several guiding principles of Servant Leadership, trust and commitment.
In addition to enhancing our leadership skills, we will also develop plans to enhance the effectiveness of our teams.
Invited Presenter:
The Rev. Dr. Scott DeBlock, Resource Presbyter for the Presbytery of Northern New England of the PC(USA)
12:00PM–12:30PM
Lunch: A buffet-style lunch will be provided by the Century House
12:30PM–3:00PM
Session 5b: Managing Volunteers
We will explore some best practices around managing volunteers.
3:00PM–4:00PM
Wrap up, surveys, and additional time to work with your team as desired.
More about our invited presenter:
The Rev. Dr. Scott A. DeBlock
Biography
The Rev. Dr. Scott A. DeBlock is the Resource Presbyter for the Presbytery of Northern New England of the PC(USA). His current responsibilities include coming alongside pastors and church leaders of thirty congregations in their ministry and mission. He has been a Pastoral Leader for 35 years, and served as Senior Pastor of Niskayuna Reformed Church from 1995-2014. He then served as a specialized Transitional Pastor for churches in Brunswick and Ballston Spa, as well as Newburyport MA and Portland, ME, where he now lives with his wife of 38 years, Dr. Heidi DeBlock. From there they travel to visit their three daughters from DC to London.
Post Session Five
Please click on photographs to enlarge
The Rev. Dr. Scott A. DeBlock led us in discussion on Servant Leadership. We explored the importance of building trust and correctly using power in organizations to successfully build commitment in our teams and workplaces. A trauma informed perspective is a critical component to becoming a servant leader. The afternoon was spent engaging with our panel of experts – The Rev. Dr. Miriam Lawrence Leupold from First Presbyterian Church in Albany, Rabbi Dr. Matthew Cutler from Congregation Gates of Heaven and The Rev. Dr. Amaury Tañón-Santos from Schenectady Community Ministries. We explored servant leadership in our mixed teams and then engaged the panel with questions and conversation. We hope that the insights gained here will be valuable as you lead others in your Parish, School, and Community.
